Excitement ahead of new Quaker meeting house opening

The chairman of the Kingston Society has said she is “excited” about the new Quaker meeting house in the town centre.

The building, in Fairfield East, is set to open in the spring. Quaker representatives met the society on Wednesday evening to discuss construction work.

Kingston Society chairman Jennifer Butterworth said: “We are very excited to see what the final design looks like, especially the garden, which will be very important.”

An artist's impression of the finished design

Kingston Quaker Dr Martin Birley said: “This will be one of the greenest community buildings in Kingston.”

The centre will replace the old meeting house in Eden Street, which is owned by Primark and was invaded by squatters in 2012. Its meeting hall will seat more than 80 people, and office space will be made available to rent for other community groups.